The nature of those guesses (spatial ability, multitasking) were the biggest red flag. “Remind people of gender stereotypes and they tend to perform in a way that reinforces them,” Jarrett wrote. (Meanwhile, Tom Stafford notes, researchers can easily reverse the gender stereotypes with a little psychological manipulation.) One meta-analysis shows that the vaunted male spatial ability has less to do with gender than the extent to which men and women identify with masculinity and male-oriented activities. Needless to say, the University of Pennsylvania study did not ask participants whether they were raised to play with blocks.